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Letters

June 30, 2009

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Further Exploration

Reading with great interest the article “Exploring Barnard’s Archaeology Curriculum” in the Spring issue, it occurred to me another discipline might be included. The relationship between anthropology and archaeology could well add the discipline of folklore. Folklore classes, if not in a department of folklore, are taught in many schools under anthropology or English. Material culture is an important component of folklore as it is with the other two disciplines. Perhaps future folklore courses will be included in the Barnard curriculum. The three disciplines meld in many ways. Congratulations for the start in archaeology.

—K. Anne Battley Phipps ’48, PhD, folklorist

Greencastle, IN

The Bear Facts

As one of the original Barnard Bears in the late ’70s, reading the article about the origins of varsity athletics at the College brought back many fond memories. Being on the tennis team was an enriching experience for me.... So I am concerned that Barnard women are so underrepresented on the athletic rosters of the University today—fewer than 15 percent of the female athletes attend Barnard. While the article states that “coaches on the consortium teams pitch prospective athletes equally on attending Barnard and Columbia …,” I am wondering if enough is being done to encourage student athletes to attend Barnard. These young women would obviously benefit from “the Barnard education” while fitting well with its motto of “Strong and Beautiful.” Having student-athletes on campus would also add another dimension to I just got around to reading the Spring 2009 Barnard Magazine and noticed that two photos in the “Remembering the Barnard Bears” article were misidentified. On page 24, photo no. 2 is basketball player Ellen Bossert, not Ula Lysniak. Also, photo no. 3 is runner Cynthia (Cindy) Babski ’82, not Ylonka Wills. I was a member of the basketball team, and I was a friend of Cindy Babski. I also know Ula. It would be nice if you could make the correction in the next magazine.

—Wendy Kutlow Best ’82

Atlanta, GA

Astrid Cravens, Barnard College Image Archivist, replies: While we make every effort to check and double check sources, locations, and identities, sometimes mistakes happen. In this case, we reversed the caption for the image the magazine ran, with another. We are grateful, however, for the identification of Ms. Bossert and will add this information to our records.

Thank you so much for “Remembering the Barnard Bears” by Mary Witherell (Spring 2009). I came to the Barnard Track Team in 1982 and felt immediately welcomed by the athletic community and Mary, who I will always think of as a tireless advocate for women’s sports in and around the campus.

—Carolin (Carrie) Daly ’86

Brockton, MA

Correction

The In Memoriam section of Class Notes in the Spring 2009 issue included a misspelling of the name of Hortense Calisher’s husband, Curtis A. Harnack. We regret the error.